Wet Blocking Amigurumi
Wet blocking always comes up in scarves and blankets, but not usually amigurumi. I’ve even seen some say you CAN’T block acrylic yarn. I’m here to tell you that’s a bunch of malarkey, and in fact I find wet blocking my soft sculptures is a critical last step.
The general idea is to saturate the fiber with water, mold or pin it into shape, and let it dry. You’re left with crispier edges and fuller, fluffier stitches.
I take it a step further and mix a glue and water solution for an extra starchy hold. They make products that do this (one is called “Sitffen Stuff”, mostly for doilies), but I’ve never used it because…… it’s probably just glue + water. You also get more control over the solution this way. (For tiny stuff like teeth and fingers, I might use a higher ratio of glue.)
Let dry in front of a fan
In some cases I’ll block a piece before sewing it on, but usually on dolls I’ll block the whole thing at the end. I lay out a towel, and just splish-splash my hands in it, scultping and molding it into the doll where it’s needed. I try not to submerge stuffed pieces too much- you don’t want to soak the fiberfill inside, just the crocheted fabric.
Anything with picots, corners, embroidery, or flat little shapes gets extra attention. When making small triangles (like in Zuko’s hair), they tend to curl up when fresh off the hook. This fixes that!
So give it a try on your next project. It can really take a sad lumpy sock and turn it into a sharp, defined shape- and even fill some holes or other blemishes.
